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Topic: Episode 331 (Read 32060 times)

Oh snap! Now I remember, its always been right before my eyes, cause DH actually does this too, occasionally anyway, as far as I remember. (For instance I clearly remember "retribution/conviction ARC" --> "Lost children CHAPTER" --> "EPISODE blah blah")

Hello Berserk fans! Have been lurking for a while until I decided to start posting.

This was a nice and very special episode to me as it marked the first episode I had to wait for since reading through the series a couple months ago. It has been a great ride so far!!

It's nice to see the merrows and Isma again, I thought Isma would part ways with the crew after finally meeting her mother at the end of the Sea God episodes.

I agree with much that has been voiced already. This episode does a good job at reminding the readers the most important threads in the story so far, like Casca's recovery, the Elf King and Elfhelm, the pain that Guts has been enduring and a quick flash of Griffith. Even skull knight and the beast of darkness made a cameo appearance during some of Guts's thoughts as well.

Now to a few more thoughts on the "shooting star" part that was presented as the climax of the episode and the moonlight boy:

1. The first thing that came to my mind when noticing the branches at the moon, and then seeing them further with the boy on top, was the Ganishka-tree. I know there is an ongoing theory here that asserts that it was Zodd's silhouette that appeared on episode 238 if I recall correctly... With that in mind I think it's interesting to note that there was no Ganishka-tree nor where the astral world so merged with the physical world at that part of the story, which lends credence with the thought that maybe the boy might have really needed Zodd's help to get there at that point, also assuming the boy and Griffith share the same body, which is part of the theory that I'm vaguely recurring right now.

2. This has also been said before, but even though Schierke opens a new and interesting possibility with the moonlight boy being the Storm flower king or some related elf, I agree with the sentiment that we as readers have knowledge enough to almost disregard that possibility. Needless to say, most of the information we have right now on the boy points to him being Guts and Casca's son, able to assume form only on full moon nights and likely sharing his body with Griffith/Femto.

I wouldn't assume they would be using the same method as the boy, but since he's someone other than SK that now has a fast method of moving around, maybe there could be something at Skellig for the group to achieve something similar? Not entirely likely, but not entirely impossible.

I definitely think that they will leave Skellig by some other means than by ship. So far, Miura has never repeated himself in this manga. Another long trip over the ocean would seem a bit redundant, so I doubt it will happen. And if it happens, it will either be very short, or even more dangerous than the encounter with the sea god.But I don't want to think too much about how they leave Skellig yet, they haven't even arrived and that arrival is the single most anticipated event since... well ever.

Well, it's too early to think about the trip back, but it's something cool to speculate about.Although Schierke presents possibilities of fast travel by the Elf King and maybe other denizens of Elfhelm, I think when they get to Skellig it would be a great opportunity to showcase some exotic flying creatures from the astral realm. These creatures could possibly have been tamed and used by the human witches and mages to get to Skellig or fly to other locations (for some reason I have trouble thinking that most of the humans who presently inhabit Elfhelm are native there).Anyway, they could be used by Guts and his group to fly back to the mainland when they finish their business in Elfhelm.

Now what those creatures could be? Who knows, the sky is the limit for Miura now that Fantasia has been laid.

Griffins like we see depicted on Falconia's walls or the one figuratively depicted on volume 21? Giant eagles perhaps? The feather of Serpico's feather-sword originally came from a mystical Eagle according to Schierke, iirc.

Even if this just amounts to some wild speculation in the future, I agree with the sentiment that the travel back will or at least should be a faster one and in a different way than to go by ship again, like it has been for years now. That would also mean that the group would likely part ways with Roderick and Magnifico at that point.

The feather of Serpico's feather-sword originally came from a mystical Eagle according to Schierke, iirc.

The kanji used by Schierke (大鷲) literally means a "large eagle", and usually refers to Steller's Sea Eagle, an Asian species that is one of the largest birds of prey in the world. They do sometimes nest at the top of large trees in the real world, so that is consistent with what Schierke says of it as well.

So the bird itself is a priori not mystical, but it was, at the time, a subtle indication that Guts et al. were getting closer to the coast.

The kanji used by Schierke (大鷲) literally means a "large eagle", and usually refers to Steller's Sea Eagle, an Asian species that is one of the largest birds of prey in the world. They do sometimes nest at the top of large trees in the real world, so that is consistent with what Schierke says of it as well.

So the bird itself is a priori not mystical, but it was, at the time, a subtle indication that Guts et al. were getting closer to the coast.

Oh, I see, thanks for the correction. Pretty interesting stuff, I'm fammiliar with this species of bird of prey as well but had no idea Schierke could have been refering to it.

It's also an interesting thought that would never cross my mind that mentioning the Eagle would indicate that they were getting closer to the coast (which they actually were, following the story progression).

The Boyhood Arc really was something else, and this episode was a smooth and beautiful landing point to present time.As many of you, I enjoyed the personal time spent with Guts and his thoughts at the end. The mystery surrounding the Moonlight Boy ascended to a whole new astral levels, which bugs me in a really good way.

What actually irritated me a bit, was Schierke coming out with a hunch, which frankly - seemed like something us hyperactive fanboys here at SKNet could come up. Way I see it, is Miura presenting a shameless red herring, not caring if he gets away with it or not. He disguises it with a typical scenario: theory is brought up, someone doubting it, then some loose backing for it presented and finally leaving it hanging in the air. As leverage in convincing us to even consider the possibility he puts these words into Schierke's mouth, who has definite authority and weight among her companions when concerning these kind of things.Now, this may sound like I'm complaining, but when I read that bit, it had me grinning and tipping my hat to Miura: well played, sir.

What actually irritated me a bit, was Schierke coming out with a hunch, which frankly - seemed like something us hyperactive fanboys here at SKNet could come up. Way I see it, is Miura presenting a shameless red herring, not caring if he gets away with it or not. He disguises it with a typical scenario: theory is brought up, someone doubting it, then some loose backing for it presented and finally leaving it hanging in the air. As leverage in convincing us to even consider the possibility he puts these words into Schierke's mouth, who has definite authority and weight among her companions when concerning these kind of things.Now, this may sound like I'm complaining, but when I read that bit, it had me grinning and tipping my hat to Miura: well played, sir.

Yeah, not sure why you say this irritated you. Schierke is more knowledgeable than the others when it comes to astral matters, but she's still just a kid and she's failed to put things together before. She's certainly not infallible. It may seem like an obvious red herring to us, but that's because we're serious fans™ who pore over every little detail of the series. I'm sure a lot of people will fall for it without thinking twice. And it's not like we know for sure what the deal is with the kid anyway. I think my old theory is pretty solid, but nothing's set in stone until Miura says it is.

Hm.. Can anyone explain to me Farnese's comment on Page 10? Is she saying that like, "I can't believe Guts is dating THIS girl." or "This girl is Guts lover? She's too good for him." I really can't tell if this line is insulting (for lack of better word, it's not really an insult either) Guts or Casca, but Guts response leads me to believe it's towards Guts.

Hm.. Can anyone explain to me Farnese's comment on Page 10? Is she saying that like, "I can't believe Guts is dating THIS girl." or "This girl is Guts lover? She's too good for him." I really can't tell if this line is insulting (for lack of better word, it's not really an insult either) Guts or Casca, but Guts response leads me to believe it's towards Guts.

What translation are you pulling that from...? Sounds like it confused the scene for you. Basically she inadvertently said something that could have hurt Guts feelings, then felt guilty for it. It underscores the fundamental problem between Guts and Casca in her current state of mind.

Hm.. Can anyone explain to me Farnese's comment on Page 10? Is she saying that like, "I can't believe Guts is dating THIS girl." or "This girl is Guts lover? She's too good for him." I really can't tell if this line is insulting (for lack of better word, it's not really an insult either) Guts or Casca, but Guts response leads me to believe it's towards Guts.

Farnese's not insulting anyone, she's thinking aloud about how she tends to forget that Casca (and not her) is the one Guts loves. Her comment is directed at herself. The line's a bit difficult, even in Japanese. Here is puella's explanation about it:

It's normal you're confused. The line IS confusing. It can be interepreted several ways.

1) She often forgets (or wants to forget) Guts and Casca's relationship, what Casca is to Guts.2) She wants to remind herself that Casca is Guts' lover so as to not be confused again.3) "Confused" means many things: she forgets about their relationship, she wants to think there could be some room for her in Guts' mind but this may be her own fantasy. She knows it herself. But this "chain" is continued. She knows Casca is Guts' lover but she gets to think she and Guts can have their own "relationship"...In the previous panels, Farnese acts without caring about what Casca is to Guts.

Farnese's not insulting anyone, she's thinking aloud about how she tends to forget that Casca (and not her) is the one Guts loves. Her comment is directed at herself. The line's a bit difficult, even in Japanese. Here is puella's explanation about it:

Wow, thanks a lot, you and puella's explanation really helped. Like Walter said, it shows the fundamental issue between Guts and Casca, but I think it's also foreshadows an upcoming issue between Casca and Farnese (if it wasn't obvious before). Sounds like we're going to have some exciting drama in Elfhelm.

Am I the only one finding Farnese is getting more out spoken especially when she made a rough comment on Guts. PLease don't let these 2 pair up, if that day comes I'll quit reading the manga !

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Can anyone explain to me Farnese's comment on Page 10? Is she saying that like, "I can't believe Guts is dating THIS girl." or "This girl is Guts lover? he's too good for her." I really can't tell if this line is insulting (for lack of better word, it's not really an insult either) Guts or Casca, but Guts response leads me to believe it's towards Guts.

The comment Farnese made almost came across to me like something Casca would have said to Guts while she was still herself. Casca was someone who told it the way it was and it is interesting to see Farnese becoming more and more confident to the point where she can make comments like that even unconsciously.

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Based on her actions in this episode, I wonder if Farnese will end up attempting to interfere with Guts and Casca's relationship when things get more complicated in Elfhelm. There's been growing tension there for a while for her (see volume 33), but it never really occurred to me that she might become a monkey in the gears until this episode, when she makes up an excuse for Guts to keep his distance from Casca.

ugh...I really hope not. The last thing I want to see is conflict occur between a restored Casca and Farnese. I have not paid too much mind to Farnese's crush on Guts because it seem to humanize her and it seemed harmless, but if it starts girl drama down the road I am not going to be too pleased it that. I would like for Farnese and Casca to become friends if she gets her mind restored. I imagine Farnese would be the one person Casca would have the clearest or fondest memory of while insane since she took care of her. Please Miura don't do it!

Logged

Casca from Berserk. May 2014 be the year Casca fans get to see a return of her true self, the kickass warrior and leader of the Hawks/Falcons.